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I would love to see a "Where are these families now" episode of tiny houses.
The SD couple with 3 kids moving into a 900 sq/ft house, the kids become teens negotiating sleeping/living space?
People have no idea...
"After marrying his third wife, Juliette, Paskowitz and his new bride began a period of roughly 25 years of a transient bohemian lifestyle on the road. The couple produced nine children, and the entire family lived and traveled together in a succession of used camper vans. Paskowitz's personal philosophy about education and money and healthy lifestyle was imposed on his family."
If you are interested, check out the movie "Surfwise". As I recall they all stayed together until the oldest was ~20.
It is TV.. Home improvement stations need to fill out the schedule. "Tiny Homes" is just a fun show, there is certainly 100% no trend towards "tiny" on large scale. Just some outliers getting on TV.
Most of these people will stop living in their tiny house when they have kids or become sick to death of living in each others pocket.
There is a very real reason people buy bigger homes when they have more monies. It is because it is very nice to have room to swing a cat.
In reality, large houses are the outlier trend. Look at history. Average house sizes in the 50s/60s was 700-800 square feet, and many starter homes at the time would qualify today as a "tiny" home. Materials are becoming more expensive, electricity is more expensive, land is becoming more expensive. I could definitely see a trend back towards smaller houses if these things continue to become more expensive. It will most likely be gradual not sudden but in 50-100 years who knows. Look at the size of apartments in Tokyo.
I think it's a trend on it's way out, eventually. Most people don't want to live in 500 sq ft. Yes, people need to downsize, but 500 ft is not suitable for most families - and families buy most houses.
I didn't know 2600 ft was average. That seems huge to me. We had a 4 BR, 2 Bt on .25 acres growing up, and it was 1600 ft which seemed huge to me.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I don't get the point of them. I truly don't get the either/or mentality. As in you either have a mcmansion or a tiny house. Um, no, there are lots of places in between.
I'm really confused about the people who want tiny houses so they can travel with them. Why not just buy a camper or a fifth wheel?
As others have mentioned, the tiny houses are way overpriced, imo. And you don't even get land. I saw one show where they were buying a tiny house and then paying land rent. At that point, why not consider a mobile home?
If I had a choice between a tiny house and a mobile home, I'd probably go with the mobile home. If I wanted to travel, I'd definitely pick a camper--or even a tent.
I don't get the point of them. I truly don't get the either/or mentality. As in you either have a mcmansion or a tiny house. Um, no, there are lots of places in between.
I'm really confused about the people who want tiny houses so they can travel with them. Why not just buy a camper or a fifth wheel?
As others have mentioned, the tiny houses are way overpriced, imo. And you don't even get land. I saw one show where they were buying a tiny house and then paying land rent. At that point, why not consider a mobile home?
If I had a choice between a tiny house and a mobile home, I'd probably go with the mobile home. If I wanted to travel, I'd definitely pick a camper--or even a tent.
I agree. I'd sooner rent a studio apartment or live in an RV.
I lived in a 450 S/Ft studio for a few years up until I got married at 45.
It was perfect for me and my come-and-go lifestyle. I traveled a lot, some overseas, had a company car and so forth.
Then I got married and it all changed.
(sigh)
Tiny house shows are all over HGTV these days even though trailer, park model, and small condo living is anything but new.
I think as a whole the average family, couple, or single person buys (or rents) much more house than they need. The average house sized house in the U.S. is about 2400-2600 square feet.
I live in 550 square feet apartment and do alright. I could maximize wall space more. I think about 50 more square feet would be perfect.
I save time/money on cleaning, utilities, and just stuff by living in a small place.
As I slowly start thinking about home ownership I'm beginning to think about what size place I should get.
Anyway, what do you all think of "tiny" houses in general? Do you live in one? Would you? What are the benefits and drawbacks?
I think a "tiny" house would be okay IF you had a life outside of your home and didn't entertain much and don't have much in the way of possessions that require a lot of storage. Now I've seen tiny houses on HGTV that are under 100 sq. ft. I could never do that - I would get claustrophic.
But if you have a job, spend a lot of time outdoors and basically only come home to shower and sleep it would probably be fine.
My wife and I live in an 865 SF house. It is perfectly proportioned and feels bigger than our previous 1100 SF house. We have 2 bedrooms and a bonus room/office. It is all electric and including a hot tub our average electric bill the last 3 years is $74. My mortgage, including insurance and taxes) is $925/mo. Cheap living.
My wife and I live in an 865 SF house. It is perfectly proportioned and feels bigger than our previous 1100 SF house. We have 2 bedrooms and a bonus room/office. It is all electric and including a hot tub our average electric bill the last 3 years is $74. My mortgage, including insurance and taxes) is $925/mo. Cheap living.
I wouldn't call that tiny. My first studio apartment was bigger than that, and it had a full kitchen and living room. It just didn't have a bedroom.
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